OTR424

Location: Wattle Hill

Australian Soil Classification: Humose-Mottled, Melacic, Red KANDOSOL
Northcote Factual Key: GN2.41

General Landscape Description: Mountains, Hills
Site Description: Lower Slope Slope: 5% Aspect: South
Native Vegetation: E. regnans, E. obliqua, E. gonicalyx, A. melanoxylon
Geology: Kl: Cretaceous Sediments; Felspathic Sandstone

Moonlight Heads

Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil

A11	0-8 cm	Black (10YR2/1); fine sandy loam; crumb structure; clear wavy boundary to:
A12	8-15 cm	Very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2); sandy loam; weak subangular blocky structure; occasional angular sandstone; clear wavy boundary to:
A2	15-30 cm	Yellowish brown (10YR5/6); fine sandy clay loam; very weak subangular blocky structure; occasional angular sandstones; clear boundary to:
Subsoil
B2	30-60 cm	Dark greyish brown (10YR4/2); heavy clay; strong very fine subangular blocky structure; occasional angular sandstones; gradual irregular boundary to:
B3	60-90 cm	Dark greyish brown (10YR4/2); fine sandy clay; moderate angular blocky structure; discontinuous layers of decomposing rock; gradual irregular boundary to:
C	90+ cm	Weathering dipping beds of sandstones and mudstones with thin lenses of dark greyish brown (10YR4/2) clay down joint plains.

Soil Profile Characteristics:

	pH	Salinity Rating	Sodicity
Surface (A1 horizon)	Strongly Acid	Medium	Non-Sodic
Subsoil (B21 horizon)	Strongly Acid	Low	Non-Sodic
Deeper Subsoil (at 90 cm)	Strongly Acid	Low	Slightly Sodic

This profile is strongly acid.

The salinity rating in the surface is medium. The subsoil has a low salinity rating.

This profile is non-sodic down to the deeper subsoil where the soil is slightly sodic.

Low to moderate clay content.

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	pH (water)	EC dS/m	Cl %	Organic Carbon %	Total N %	P ppm	K ppm	Free Fe %	Exchangeable Cations				Total Bases cmolc/kg	Ex Ac cmolc/kg	CEC cmolc/kg
										Ca	Mg	K	Na
										cmolc/kg
A11	0-8	5.4	0.28	0.025	5.1	0.37	11	260	1.4	8.5	4.3	0.9	0.6	14.3	11.3	25.7
A12	8-15	5.5	0.22	0.021	2.8	0.19	4	200	1.1	5.9	3.4	0.6	0.5	10.4	7.4	17.7
A2	15-30	5.8	0.16	0.014	1.3	0.093	2	240	2.4	7.7	5.0	0.8	0.6	14.1	4.4	18.5
B2	30-60	5.2	0.14	0.014	0.6	0.060	1	220	4.7	5.0	8.8	0.8	1.1	15.7	10.3	25.7
B3	60-90	5.2	0.13	0.014	0.4	0.040			5.4
C	90-185	5.3	0.16	0.015	0.4	0.035	2	200	2.1	1.4	13.8	0.7	1.7	17.6	9.9	27.5

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	Gravel %	Coarse Sand (0.2-2.0 mm)	Fine Sand (0.02-0.2 mm)	Silt (0.002-0.02 mm)	Clay (<0.002 mm)
A11	0-8	8	6	45	20	21
A12	8-15	2	7	48	22	17
A2	15-30	3	3	41	20	33
B2	30-60	2	2	34	20	45
B3	60-90	5	4	48	13	33
C	90-185	1	2	47	16	33

Management Considerations:
Strong texture contrast between the surface soil (sandy loam) and the subsoil (heavy clay) may reduce and/or redirect the internal drainage and restrict root growth beyond the upper horizons.

Acidic subsoils generally occur on acidic parent material or where there has been sufficient leaching of the soil. These subsoils affect nutrient availability, creating a nutrient imbalance and the potential for aluminium and manganese toxicity.

Deficiencies of calcium, potassium and molybdenum are likely.

Profile Described By: Frank Gibbons, 28th January 1966.

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